When we first got started on the internet most of uswere addicted to free ... We were sure thatwe were going to get ... of traffic to our ... by placing our ads on FFA pages a
When we first got started on the internet most of us were addicted to free promotion. We were sure that we were going to get mountains of traffic to our websites simply by placing our ads on FFA pages and signing up for traffic exchange programs. A few weeks later, though, the sad reality set in. We were getting traffic but no sales. All that time spent on free promotion and nothing to show for it.
We grew up, internetwise, after that. We realized that making money online was going to involve more work than we first thought. We started looking into promotional programs that cost a few dollars. We started reading up on search engine submission and ezine advertising. We vowed to leave the free promotional tools to the newbies.
Now, after months or years of being online most of us have totally forgotten about free promotion. We have found the techniques that work for us and aren't afraid to spent a little cash on them. The only time free promotion crosses our minds is when we see a new free program on a banner or pop-up.
But is free promotion really so bad that we should forget about it altogether. Are there perhaps a few benefits we can reap from free programs?
I am a noted cheapskate, so I am always ready to give something free a try. So, even though I do use a variety of promotional tools that I have to pay for, I haven't forgotten about free promotion. I don't use a lot of the free programs but I do keep a few of them around. Why?
I've found that certain websites actually get a good response through free promotional programs. For instance, I always run my ezine websites through my favorite click exchange Webmasterquest because it has a variety of different features and I find that I do get a few subscribers each time.
I also like FFA and Free Link pages because they make me think. Everytime I come across one I have to think about what title I want to use for the ad. I make myself use a different one every time. This helps me out when I do pay for an ezine ad for instance. I've already got a few good titles in my head.
I also love free search engine submission tools. I write a lot of articles and I like to submit the different webpages they appear on to search engines. I wouldn't dream of paying to do this though. But I can go to Addme.com and submit those webpages to a dozen or so search engines for free. And I've found that many of these webpages pop up in some of the better search engines eventually.
So before you totally write off free promotion, take a look at some of these programs and tools again. You might find one or two that can be of use to you, even after you've been on the World Wide Web awhile.
Timothy Ward publishes the Ward Wide Webzine, an ezine dedicated to bringing you info and tips, as well as humor weekly. You can subscribe at: Ward Wide Webzine
